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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Raman Reti or Raman Van in Old Gokul, Vrindavan

Our first stop enroute to Vrindavan from Mathura is Raman Reti or Raman Van in Old Gokul, a few kms. off and approximately 45 minutes away from Mathura. The first thing that catches our eye here is a deer sanctuary. People flock around to catch a glimpse of the innocent and friendly creatures and the best thing is that these deer’s are quite willing to oblige.

Deer Sanctuary

A stones throw from this sanctuary is the Raman Reti compound. True to its name, it is filled with sand (reti) and is reminiscent of the past when Lord Krishna would frequent here along with His brother Balarama and cowherd friends to indulge in leisurely plays (raman). It is also the place where He would meet His love, Radha before leaving for Vrindavan together.

Raman Reti compound

In the precincts is a beautiful Radha Krishna Temple, the environment of which is very much similar to Govind Devji temple of Jaipur but it is much smaller in size and grandeur.

Radha-Krishna Temple

The Beautiful deity of Radha and Krishna in the temple

A group singing devotional hymn to the Lord

Just adjacent to this, a Shiva temple and a Krishna Balarama Temple stand in the premises.

Shiva Temple to the left of the picture and the Balarama Temple to the right

The Shivling inside the Shiva temple

Besides the temples, there is a residential area for ascetics and sages. The entire setting has a rural village feel with cottages and trees and the peace this place exuded was remarkable.

Residential huts

People relaxing in the 'Ret (divine sand)' at the Raman Reti compound

Next to it is an Annapurna Bhandar or a Kitchen where food is cooked for the Lord and the tenants.

Annapurna Bhandar

Right next to Raman Reti is the Rangbihariji temple located in the famous Karshni ashram dedicated to the great saint Gyandasji of the 18th century. However, we had to miss this place due to lack of time.

56 comments:

Once again a wonderful post. Vridavan has remained elusive for me. When I traveled to Mathura, I had my wife with me. She was a patient of arthritis and could not tax her. The deer park seems to be too good.

Nice pics Arti! As I was reading this post, I realized how different types of people live here with different ambitions and purposes. There are some who work to have a better life today and tomorrow. There are some who already know they have a better life and live in spirituality. And our country has place for both!

I like the photo of the deer - their antlers are very different looking from our deer here. They are mighty long! The dappled light in the photos is wonderful. The temples are beautiful. Thanks for another enlightening post Arti! Happy day to you.

So insightful! It is such an interesting and hard to explain feeling to walk in the same place that Krishna used to, right? It makes us realize that in spite of the thousands of years, some place continue being auspicious!

As you might know, here we have deer sanctuary in Nara Park too because they have been considered to be God's messengers. What about those deer in the sanctuary? The antlers look different from the ones here. Do they naturally come off? Here they are to be cut off in fall to keep them from fighting or hurting trees or visitors. The antlers cutting ceremony became one of attractions here.Thank you for taking us another pilgrimage tour.

This is very interesting and fascinating. I was absolutely blown away but the complexity and the colors of Indian temples and traditions. I've visited many and next time I go to India I'll be certainly tackling some more ;)

Nice to know there is a deer sanctuary in your part of the world, too. Your deer looks quite different from ours in Nara Park: he has such a long antler and the two-tone color of soft brown and white is lovely. The row of residential huts and the shade of trees create peaceful atmosphere and the temples are beautiful. Thanks for this tour with you, Arti.

@ cosmos, stardustThe antlers of the deer are not cut as far as I know. Lord Krishna used to love animals so this Deer Park is maintained here along with a small bird sanctuary which unfortunately I could not capture. There is also a deer park at Sarnath where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment.

Your deer is different from ours. The antler is longer than ours. Now,in Nara park,male deers'antlers have grown and I discovered those antlers have short fluffs.The flower pattern on the wall in the 4th picture is lovely and interesting.Have a fabulous week!

Dear AratiHow are you? Finally here after many months! It seems I missed many posts , will start reading from the 1st post on Braj-bhumi...Never knew there is no much to see around in Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan. I have only gone once to these places , that too way back in 1985 or so !! It is just 11/2 hr drive from my home!!! Let the rain start and if I am back then, I am going to see all these places.By the way ...I always hire one priest whenever I visit any religious place. It is always good to have a priest Handy so that others dont pester. But this priest is also a menace , as he will pester you to give puja here and there , give dakshina etc etc. And yes as u said , this is the time one has to apply instinct! Let me start reading from the very beginning. Your postings are a great treat indeed .Have a nice week

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